Eco-fashion met retro fashion at the sixth annual "Gorgeous and Green" runway show and dinner benefit at the W Hotel in San Francisco. Earth-friendly textiles and animal-friendly production methods have hit the mainstream, so the wow factor in this year's event came from clothing that had an old-style glamour, whether the apparel and accessories were vintage or just looked that way.

The fundraising dinner and fashion show, chaired by Zem Joaquin and Nadine Weil, raised $300,000 for local Global Green initiatives, and featured a "Mad Men" theme with new and used clothing from designers and boutiques such as Karen Caldwell Design, CPAS, Silk Utopia, Emily Melville, Eco Citizen and Oak & Co., as well as Ricky Serbin Haute, the Vutique, Torso Vintages and Vintage À la Mode. The show, produced by Clarissa Nicosia and Lily Achatz, featured hair and makeup by Pureology and Jane Iredale for models from Star Model Management.

Designer Karen Caldwell, who was in attendance, said that using ecologically sound fabrics is important to her line of elegant gowns, often seen at black-tie galas.

Her gowns are made of silks colored with nontoxic dyes, and the silkworms are removed before the silk is boiled in the process of making thread.

"I try to stay away from anything that harms animals," she said. "I'm doing what I love, but I have kids. I think it's really important to look at what the future holds and use materials that will blend into the Earth and not leave a trace."

Ricky Serbin, who had lent items from his upscale vintage clothing business to the event in the past but had never attended until this year, called the show "phenomenal" for its production value and the apparel shown.

"It's a very gracious way to glamorize the green movement with a fashion show and the knowledge they give guests," he said. "A lot of the vintage fashion at the level I sell are pieces that are rarely worn, maybe three or four times. It's nice that people get to wear beautifully made clothing that someone bought with great love and are passing on to the next person. And if (First Lady) Michelle Obama can wear secondhand Norman Norell to the "Christmas in Washington" concert, that puts the imprimatur on vintage - that everyone can wear it and be chic."